Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from September, 2011
Afghanistan: Donor dependence
Nick Fielding writes that the US and other donors have provided 90 per cent of Afghanistan's public expenditures in 2006-2010. With the 2014 target date for the withdrawal of US...
Uzbekistan: Activists detained for photographing child labor
Tomyris reports that two members of an unregistered Uzbekistan’s Human Rights Society were detained by the authorities for photographing schoolchildren picking cotton in the country's southern province.
Uzbekistan: Exiled opposition member murdered
Avicenna reports that one of the most active members of the Uzbek opposition in exile Fuad Rustamkhojaev was assasinated in Ivanovo, a Western Russian town where he lived for the...
Turkmenistan: Spoken and unspoken lyrics of Turkmen literature
Tomyris reports on the fifth annual book fair hosted in Ashgabat this month, and notes that while literature in Turkmenistan is being celebrated, it continues to be suppressed and dominated...
Uzbekistan: Violations of religious freedom
Mansurhon reviews the speech by Uzbekistan's expert and rights activist regarding violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief in this country. The speech, delivered at the Annual...
Kyrgyzstan: Pushing for the state language in campaign
murzaki writes about the Kyrgyz language test, which is a part of the presidential candidates registration in Kyrgyzstan. Some observers believe this exam may be a tool of screening away...
China: Xinjiang’s Most Popular Song
Josh recommends an Uyghur pop song from Xinjiang presented by a trio, named Shahrizoda, from Uzbekistan.
Georgia: Virtual Facebook Parliamentary Speaker Election Game
Ahead of next year's parliamentary election in Georgia, the ruling party continues in its attempt to harness the power of social media to attract interest in the electoral process from social media users. Mirian Jugheli reports.
Armenia: Punishing homophobia
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that a regional tour company has announced that it will not be sponsoring or advertising on Radio Van, a local radio station accused of spreading hate-speech...
Azerbaijan: Peace Corps Reflections
Aaron in Azerbaijan comments on a Global Voices post on the U.S. Peace Corps in Turkmenistan and reflects on the situation as a volunteer in Azerbaijan.
Turkmenistan: Global Village or Village Behind the Globe?
Foreign presence in Turkmenistan is limited to a few diplomats and branch executives of a couple of large energy or construction companies. So the existence of Americans living and teaching in some rural villages has sparked debate online.
Afghanistan: Taliban propaganda on the internet
Nick Fielding writes about Taliban's presence on the internet with public relations accounts in popular social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as well as videos disseminated through cellphones in...
Afghanistan: Local police units failing
Nick Fielding reviews a new Human Rights Watch report on the creation of the Afghan Local Police last summer, noting that impunity-driven militias participated in murderous tribal vendettas, targeted killings,...
Kazakhstan: Forbes magazine franchise launched
Tomyris informs that Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s wealthiest country, welcomes the prominent business Forbes magazine to its list of available medias.
Kyrgyzstan: Intelligence cooperation with China
Marat Sartpaev ponders on the fact that top officers of the Kyrgyz special service paid a visit to China in an attempt to set up cooperation ties and, probably, bargain...
Afghanistan: The country's relations with China
Nasim Fekratْ looks into the historic background and current state of Afghan-Chinese political, trade and economic relationships.
Russia: Prosecutor General Calls For Control Over Social Networks
“You saw what had happened in London. To my mind, it is evident that there should be control over this [social network] activity, and I think it will be a...
Kyrgyzstan: 83 Candidates Register for Presidential Elections
Kyrgyzstan, famous for its political unrest, will have a presidential election in October 2011. No fewer than 83 Kyrgyz citizens have registered to participate in the race for the presidency. Elena Skochilo reports.
Azerbaijan: Caspian Dreaming…
Aaron in Azerbaijan posts a well-produced music video by two of his fellow Peace Corps Volunteers in the country, singing under the name of the Caspian Dreamers, ahead of next...
Tajikistan: The country in its 20
Christian Bleuer is analyzing the newest history of Tajikistan – both its internal politics and its geopolitical stand – as this country marks the 20th anniversary of its independence.
Uzbekistan: Journalists face dress-code restrictions
Tomyris reports that Uzbekistan, “a leader in the field of media censorship”, is imposing a new limitation to journalists. The female reporters seen on Uzbek state television will be seen...
About our Central Asia & Caucasus coverage
